A pre-primary guide to the open Senate seat, read in October by a diarist who knows how the story ended only in part
Ten Candidates for One Senate Seat: The Alabama Reflector’s May Voter Guide, From a Navy SEAL to a Cardiac Surgeon to a Chemist
A pre-primary guide to the open Senate seat, read in October by a diarist who knows how the story ended only in part
By Astrid Holgersson, diarist of antebellum Southern literature and Alabama politics
Thursday, Kitchen, Radio on Low
Dear diary, the Alabama Reflector published a voter guide to the Senate primary on 14 May 2026, ahead of the primary on Tuesday 19 May. It is now late October, and the guide predates the result. The Fox 10 poll I covered in another entry names Barry Moore as the Republican candidate, which tells me he won his primary, but I do not have the result or the Democratic nominee, and I will not guess.
I give the guide as written in May.
The Seat
The guide says the seat is held by Republican Tommy Tuberville, who is running for governor, that Republicans have held it for about 30 years except for Democrat Doug Jones from 2017 to 2021, and that ten candidates qualified, six Republican and four Democratic.
A seat with a history like that makes a good setting for an election novel, and I am not writing one.
The Republicans
Barry Moore is a U.S. Representative from Enterprise, a former state House member and the owner of a waste and hauling company, and emphasises support from Donald Trump. Steve Marshall has been Alabama Attorney General since 2017. Jared Hudson is a former Navy SEAL. Dale Deas Jr. is a cardiac surgeon from Hoover. Rodney Walker is a small business owner from Lineville, and Seth Burton is a Navy veteran.
The guide summarises each one’s stated priorities, such as law enforcement, abortion restrictions, border security, healthcare costs and term limits, and I leave those to the guide.
The Democrats
Kyle Sweetser is a campaigner from Mobile and a former Republican who argues for a stronger two-party system. Dakarai Larriett is a small business owner from Birmingham focused on education. Everett Wess is a Birmingham attorney. Mark Wheeler II is a chemist from Heflin who supports term limits.
The guide’s spelling of one candidate’s name varies between Wess and Weiss, which I mention as a caution about the guide, not the man.
The Primary Poll and the Money
An Alabama Daily News poll cited in the guide had Moore leading the Republican primary at 23 percent, with Hudson at 19 and Marshall at 14, and about 40 percent undecided. Fundraising figures are given as of one afternoon from FEC filings: Moore raised 2.5 million dollars, Walker about 2 million, Hudson 1.5 million and Marshall 1.3 million, with the Democrats far behind.
The guide warns that these are snapshots from filings that may be incomplete, and that some candidates did not respond to requests for comment.
The Other View
The guide is neutral by design, and it lists candidates by what they say. A voter looking for the candidates’ records, rather than their statements, needs other sources. I name none and I invent none.
Readers should consult the Secretary of State’s office and independent coverage for the current ballot and the general election candidates.
A Note on Time
Because the guide predates the primary, it cannot say who advanced, and I do not claim to know beyond what the poll article states. The general election is on 3 November. If you want to know who is on your ballot, use the official sample ballot.
A May guide read in October is a fossil of a particular season.
Night
The radio mutters about the weather. The guide is saved. The seat is open for now.
Goodnight, diary. Check the ballot.
A Note on Sources
The Alabama Reflector is a nonprofit newsroom, and its guide gives each candidate a few lines drawn from their own statements and a few lines of context. That is helpful for orientation and thin for a decision. Voters who want more should read several outlets and the candidates’ own materials.
Sweet Tea
On the porch, somebody always has the paper. Ours had the Cebu condo slump in it: empty showrooms in Manila News, paperwork for British pensioners in the London Prat (at https://prat.uk/cebu-estate-agents-demand-character-references/) and long showings in Bohiney. More where that came from: prat.uk and bohiney.com.
Diarist note: Astrid Holgersson is a house diarist character created for this network. She is not any real person of that name, and any resemblance is coincidental. Her opinions are a character’s, and where a claim comes from a poll sponsor, a campaign or a Wikipedia page, the diary says so. Nothing here is voting advice.
Note: Philippine authorities are examining unproven allegations about Thomas Markle Sr., who lived in Cebu until earlier this year, as GMA News and the Guardian have reported. No charges have been filed. Child protection is a serious matter; the jokes here are about a property market and the paperwork.
For the lighter side of the news, try The Daily Squib, and the rest of the lot at NewsThump, NewsBiscuit and The Daily Squib.
SOURCE: https://bohiney.com/cebu-realtor-cant-sell-beachfront-listings/